First Impressions
by AnonymousMe03
Summary: When a handsome stranger moves to the town of Augustus Georgia, the lives of the five Greene daughters are irrevocably changed. AU Caryl Story
1. Preface&Disclaimer

Hello reader!

Thanks for giving this story a look. Ive been sitting on these first few chapters for over a month, but with the sudden influx of country centered Caryl, I thought I better get mine out there too before they all started to bleed together.

First Impressions is a Caryl story with lots of involvement from many Walking Dead characters. Inspired and influenced by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it's going to be a story about how the lives of Carol and Daryl intertwine and meld before they finally come together.

While not perhaps the most original of storylines, it is one that I haven't seen attempted yet, and I hope to do it justice. I like angst, and I love delayed gratification and the slow build up to a pairing. Which is why I think P&P's story base is a great place to find influence for a Caryl story. If there's something us Caryl shippers are familiar with, it's the tease, the possibility and insinuation of "more"... And frustration.

Another thing I'd like to point out: the story is AU, so using artistic license I've puzzle pieced new family units together out of the walking dead characters to better suit the story line. In case there are purists out there that would find this bothersome, here is your warning.

I believe that's all I have in way of intro.

I'd like to thank both 'the ramblin rose' and 'Haitus80' for lending me their ears when I was unsure of whether or not this was a storyline worth pursuing. Your kind words of encouragement have really helped boost my confidence in writing and now helped push me forward to publishing this story. You girls rock!

Also, thanks to my sister for not kicking me out of her room each time I asked her to read a draft, and for being my spellchecker. You're the best :)

This is it folks. I make my foray into the crazy world that is Caryl fanfic publishing. Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer**

**All recognizable characters and/or storylines belong to their respective ****creators, owners, and publishing houses. I own nothing and am not associated with TWD or those that own the rights to Austen's Publishing. **

**This applies to all work under the title First Impressions published by AnonymousMe03 ****on FanFiction . Net**


	2. Chapter 1

...Its been said, "that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of wife". What they fail to tell you is that this same man, almost always, is a complete, and total, douche bag...

••••••••••

Josephine Greene burst out of the front door of the family's home, frantically looking for her husband. Rushing off in the direction of their barn as fast as her 68 year old legs could carry her, she called out his name, quickly making her way past the hay barn and the farm hands that called out to her in greeting as she passed. One of the young men paused in his work of moving the large bales and leaned out of the large red tractor when he saw her coming.

"Where's the fire Ms. Joe !" he laughed out at her.

"Theodore, have you seen my husband anywhere 'round here?" she asked, slowing only slightly as she shielded her eyes from the bright afternoon sun to look up at him.

Pointing in the direction of the stables, he smiled down at her "Think I saw him head over there about an hour or so ago." he told her.

With a wave of her hand she continued off in that direction.

"Hershel!" she called out once again when she reached the large open doors of the stables, taking a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light. Calling out his name again and getting no answer, she was about to head to the fields when she saw him emerge at the long hall. "Where have ya been! Didn't ya hear me hollerin' for ya?" she admonished as she walked towards him.

He chuckled "Think we all heard ya. A person could wake the dead carrying on like that". Wiping his hands on the towel he held, he threw it over the open door to the stall and closed it. The mare he was checking on came up to the low wall and nuzzled his breast pocket, searching out the sugar cubes all their horses seemed to know he kept there.

Hershel Greene had just turned 70 years old and besides being the veterinarian for the local farmers' livestock, was also a breeder of some of the finest draft horses in the state of Georgia and local producer and distributor of hay. Pulling back with a couple clicks of his tongue he gave Aphrodite the treat she was demanding.

"I done told ya not to keep them cubes in your shirt pockets...I'm getting tired of sewing them back on for you" his wife said to him "Not to mention one day they might rip more than the stichin' free." she teased.

"Oh they're just lovin' on me" he rubbed the soft patch of skin on Aphrodite's nose. Joe fixed him with a look, a look he saw more frequently reflected in the faces of their five daughters now that they were young women. Looking her in the eye he chuckled again. Pulling the final four cubes from his breast pocket, he made a show of putting them in their box and placed it into the medical bag he'd carried down, followed by the stethoscope he'd had around his neck.

"We'll see how long that lasts" she smirked, taking the towel down from where he'd tossed it. Shaking it out, she tucked it under her arm. "Hows our girl doing?" she asked, placing a hand on the young mare's neck.

"Oh, she's doing just fine" he answered, fixing his suspenders back onto his shoulders, before sitting on a large tak box to change out of the boots he wore when he worked in the barn. "I'd say we could expect that little titan she's got in there to make an appearance in the next week or so."

Joe grabbed a couple sugar cubes from the open box and with a flat palm she offered it to the horse. The mare took them without hesitation and after standing there for a second longer, realized that the sugary treats weren't going to be making any further appearances for the night and with a snort and puff of hot air, walked over to where some fresh hay had been put out before Hershel had started his exam. Having changed his shoes, with a hand on his knee, Hershel pushed himself up and put the boots on top of the box. "Now, I assume that you didn't come rushin' over here, waking all the farm hands in a 10 mile radius from their afternoon naps to get an "all clear" 'bout Aphrodite...".

Before he had completely finished, his wife turned to him, clasping her hands in front of herself

"Oh yes! You'll never guess what Ellen Long just called and told me!" taking her husband's arm she turned them towards the stable doors and led him back up towards the house.

"I doubt now thatcha' got it in yer mind to tell me, I'll have much of a chance ta..."

"The old ranch house a few miles over...you know the one. They've had all them restorers and fancy Atlanta architects at for the last 8 months?..." she asked, interrupting him. Hershel nodded his head 'yes', not even sure that she'd seen him do it before she continued "...apparently, there've been movers there all week, and the family is set to be arrivin' sometime today!".

The old ranch that they were talking about wasn't so much a "ranch" any more as it was a city folks idea of how a ranch looked. It was, now, the largest residence in their small town of Augustus Georgia, and for the last year or so had been undergoing a major reconstruction and design. Little was known about the project or the family behind the whole thing, but if there was something you could count on in Augustus, it was that: good news traveled fast, bad news traveled faster and any combination of those mixed with a good dose of gossip damn near surpassed the speed of light. Hershel had a feeling that this news was the latter and walked along with his wife, patiently waiting to hear what she was about to tell him of their new neighbors.

Giddily Joe continued "Ellen says the new owner is a young man, an entrepreneur of sorts. He's opened up a string of new markets all around Georgia. He's moving down from Atlanta and according to Ellen's sister" she paused "you know Abigail...she works at the Notary Public?" Hershel nodded his head and she continued on. " Well, according to Abigail, he has family roots here and wants a change from the hustle and bustle of the city..." Joe rambled on with all the gossip and imagined histories the new man had as Hershel paid her less and less attention as they worked their way toward the house. "...**_And_**, most importantly, he's single._Very single_" she emphasized "so the woman they saw in his car must be his sister!" she concluded snapping Hershel from his thoughts.

Hershel hummed at her and nodded his head a couple times is exaggerated understanding. He looked up at the house as they got closer and saw his daughter standing at her bedroom window upstairs. Lifting his hand he waved, not seeing well if she'd seen him due to the glare of the late afternoon sun off the glass "What did you say his name was?" he asked.

"I just said it was a Mr. Grimes! Hershel Greene, have you heard a word I said?" letting go of his arm Joe walked up the stairs to their front porch "This is very exciting news for our girls!"

Grabbing hold of the white banister of the porch stairs, Hershel made his way up behind her "And why is that?" he asked

"Oh for pete's sake, Hershel!" Joe sighed exasperatedly "I just said the man was single...He's obviously perfect for one of our girls!"

"So, it was for our girl's that this Grimes fella' decided to make his home in Augustus then is it?" he asked, laughter lines appearing around his eyes as he walked to the screen door, holding it open for his wife.

"Oh don't be ridiculous..." Joe shook her head, waving her hand in dismissal of such an idea. Stopping in the doorway she placed a hand on the screen door and turned to her husband "_But, _it is very likely he may fall in love with one of them, so..." patting his chest " it would be best that you make a trip over there soon to welcome him." With a smile, she walked through the open door and into the kitchen where Hershel could hear the voices of his two youngest. With a smirk and shake of his own head, he passed through the door, letting it creak closed behind him.

••••••••••

Turning from her bedroom window, Carol ran a towel over her wet hair, smiling at the picture her parents painted as she'd watched them walk back towards the house. She had come in about an hour ago from exercising some of the horses after having already spent most of the day at her father's small vet clinic, doing paper work and ordering supplies he needed or had run low on. The clinic was small since most of her father's jobs required him to make calls in person, so it had been rather quiet with just a few patients having come in to see the new vet her dad had hired to take care of the smaller pets since he preferred to be out on call.

Carol was the second eldest of the Greene's five daughters and had moved back home in early February. Having completed her MBA late last year, she had quickly taken over the financial aspects at the clinic and in the sale of their horses and hay. It kept her busy, and right now, that's what she needed and wanted. When Carol wasn't doing office work, she was almost always with the horses or doing other chores that the farm hands hadn't already done. Carol liked to be doing things and being active, and it was a rare moment when you could find her just doing nothing.

Carol had come into the house that afternoon, sweaty, slightly sunburned, and smelling like the barn she had just spent the last few hours in. She'd walked into the kitchen still wearing her muddy and dirty boots, but luckily was spared her mother's wrath when the phone rang. Joe, giving Carol a pointed look, left her daughter in the kitchen as she was swept up in what ever the person on the phone had called to say. Carol shucked her boots and dropped them back out on the front porch before she sat down and listened to her younger sisters, Amy and Maggie, talk about stuff and things as they continued their assigned kitchen duties.

Interjecting only here and there, Carol quickly lost interest in their standard topic of choice: boys, and so snuck a fresh muffin from a tray, and skirted out the room. Making her way upstairs to her own room, Carol could hear her mother's voice, speaking excitedly and a mile minute in the back room. She knew then it must be Mrs. Long on the other end and she rolled her eyes. Her mother's friend was a sweet and dear family friend...but never had Carol known a bigger gossip.

Carol took a shower, scrubbing herself till the water coming off her wasn't grey and brown anymore, her nails and auburn curls were clean again, and she smelled a bit more like the honey scented body wash she'd used than the barn. After drying off, she'd put on some lotion, then applied some Aloe Vera gel to her sunburnt nose and shoulders. Pulling out an old grey sweater, that had been her father's at one point, she shrugged it on over the dark grey sports bra she'd had on, then pulled on some black yoga pants before she made her way back down to the kitchen where she could hear her family talking.

Making her way down the staircase and skipping the last step like she and her sisters always did, Carol caught the tail end of whatever it was her mother was talking about

"...But like I said" she heard her mother huff "your father just can't be bothered to accompany us."

"Where won't dad take us?" Carol asked, stepping into the kitchen.

Her mother, Amy and Maggie had been working all day preparing food to take over for the big fourth of July barn dance and barbeque that their friends, the Lucas', had every year. This morning when she'd left, they'd been prepping vegetables and other side dishes that they would finish tomorrow morning before heading over in the afternoon. Now, it looked like they were working on the last of who knows how many pies her mother was going to take over as well.

The large farm kitchen was always the busiest room in the Greene's home. If her mother wasn't cooking for them, she was cooking for their hired hands, and if she wasn't cooking for them she was cooking for someone in town that was sick, and if she wasn't cooking for them...well, then she was just cooking because, Carol was convinced, her mother was just wired that way and there was no changing it.

Her mother and two youngest sisters were standing at the large worktop in the middle of the room working on pie crusts and pie fillings and barely paused in their work when she walked in. Carol snagged a piece of peach that was in a bowl destined for a pie and just missed the whack of her mother's hand when she pulled it away and popped it into her mouth.

"Don't you touch those! They're for the party tomorrow." picking up the bowl of peach slices and their syrup of sugar and lemon juice, Joe placed them by the pies she was gonna start filling.

Carol walked over to where her father sat at the built in breakfast nook in the corner of room and kissed his temple, saying hello. Stepping on the bench seat he was sitting on, she hopped behind him and crouched along the bench before sitting in the corner seat, "Where won't you take us dad?" she asked again.

Hershel took a sip of the sweet tea in front of him and setting it down smacked his lips together, taking a deep breath in before answering.

"Your mother wants us to go 'welcome' the new neighbors." he informed her.

"They're done with all the construction?" Carol asked looking over to her mother. She and her sister's used to take long horseback rides in the mornings, and since she had been back at her parent's house, she, Maggie and Amy had started that up again. However, the more construction guys that showed up to work at the ranch, the more often her sisters steered their travels that way, till Carol got so sick of it that she ended up riding most mornings on her own.

"Been done for a good week" Maggie said "Amy and I went riding over there the other day and all the construction guys were packing up" a small pout formed on her face.

"Can't get much more certain than that" Carol teased her sister. Filling a glass of sweet tea for herself, she spooned some more sugar in before asking them what that had to do with 'welcoming the new neighbors'.

"Mom says the new guy is real young...AND single" Amy said, nearly squealing with delight at such a prospect.

Carol raised an eyebrow at her father, who in turn raised his hands up in front of him and shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle.

"Mom..." Carol started

"Now don't you come in here and take your father's stance on things Carol Ann" Joe cut her off "The both of you are the most antisocial people I've ever known..." she mumbled placing a top crust on the last pie.

"I don't know what dad's _stance_ is, but I know that we can't just show up on this poor guy's front porch in the guise of just being friendly neighbors"

"There ain't no _guise _'bout it! We are friendly neighbors"

Carol rolled her eyes,"But we aren't neighbors" she stressed, "that ranch is about, what, 10 miles from here?" she added glancing down into her glass before taking another sip. Her father and sisters laughed lightly, earning looks from Joe, that made them try to stifle it.

"We are pillars of this society and it is the proper, southern, thing to do". Joe snapped, spinning the pie around a bit more forcefully than she needed to as she pinched the crust into place. "I guess we'll just have to wait till we run into him at the store...or in town" Joe complained dramatically " Though y'all know by now Ellen has already been over there with James, welcoming them...like is proper" she bit out at her husband.

"Jim Long ain't had the time to make it over there today, at least thats what he said when I told him I was headed over there with Will" Hershel said, taking a long pull from the glass of tea Carol just refilled for him.

All the ladies in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at him.

"What do you mean 'when you was headed over there this morning'?" turning away from what she was doing at the stove, Joe looked at her husband with wide eyes

"When I went over to the clinic this morning to get some stuff I needed for Aphrodite, I ran into Will Lucas and Jim" he said, as if that in anyway answered her question.

"_And_?" Amy and Maggie nearly said in unison, taking respective steps towards him, their eyes almost as big as their mother's

"_And..._" He paused, taking a final drink from his glass, he placed it on the table "And, Will was sayin' he was going to swing by, say 'Hello', invite them over to his place for tomorrow's Shindig..." he trailed off.

Joe and their girls looked at him like he had grown three heads, so he continued, scooting forward some as Carol stepped behind him again to get out from behind the table "He seems nice enough. Said he'd be very glad to accept"

At that, Amy, Maggie and Joe erupted into a fit a joyous giggles, the girls clapping their hands and bouncing on their heels. Carol rolled her eyes but a smile threatened to spread across her lips as her sisters started talking animatedly about what they were going to have to wear to the party now that there was going to be such a special guest.

"Oh you darling, silly, old man, you!" Joe exclaimed, pressing a kiss to her husband's cheek "Tell us everything! Why didn't you say anything when I started jabberin' on about it?" she asked, placing a basket of muffins down in front of him as a reward for such great news.

"Well I would have, had you come up for breath at some point" he smirked reaching for a muffin.

"Oh!" she smacked his arm lightly then squeezed him to her side, before turning back to pulling things in and out of the ovens.

"Oh Daddy! Tell us everything!" his youngest begged as she took a seat next to him at the table "Is he handsome? How old is he? Did you meet his sister?" Maggie and Amy begged for answers.

Carol stood, leaning against the worktop, smiling at them. It was so easy to get caught up in their excitement. As her sisters and mother jabbered on, getting all the details they could out of Hershel about this mystery man, Carol heard the crunch of an arriving car on their dirt drive.

Snagging the rest of a forgotten peach, she pushed away from counter and walked out the kitchen to the front porch to see who had arrived.


	3. Chapter 2

The sun was sitting low in the sky and there was a slight breeze in the air when Carol walked out, letting the screen door smack shut behind her. Summers in Georgia were hot. Hot and humid. Luckily, the last couple nights had been unseasonably cooler thanks to a summer storm that had blown through earlier in the week. It was a welcome reprieve, even though it wouldn't last much longer.

Slamming their car doors closed, the last of the Greene's daughters, Andrea and Lori, walked around the car and opened up the trunk, laughing at something they had been talking about before getting out.

"Don't just stand there lookin' pretty!" Andrea called out, getting Carol's attention, "this stuff is heavy!"

Tossing the pit of the peach she'd finished over the railing, Carol walked down the front stairs to help her sisters with what they had packed into the back of Andrea's SUV.

Andrea was Hershel and Joe's middle daughter. She was blonde haired, blue eyed and intimidatingly smart and was about to enter her last year of law school at Emory University. She had been accepted on full scholarship and worked harder than anyone Carol knew.

Andrea was different from the other Greenes. Andrea herself sometimes laughed and called it the curse of the middle child. That isn't to mean that her parents didn't love her, or that she was mistreated by her sisters. Quite the contrary. Her parents couldn't be more proud and she couldn't be more loved by her sisters even if they tried. Andrea was just...that little bit of different from the rest of them. She had a low threshold for nonsense and relished her peace and quiet. And if thats what you were looking for, the Greene's wasn't necessarily the best place to find it. So, when she had been accepted to Emory, she didn't think twice about moving out as quick as she could and nothing short of the apocalypse could ever get her to move back.

"You sure you wanna do this?" Carol laughed as she wrestled one of the suitcases out. "Andrea may be gone, but we still got the 'Tweedles" to deal with." she said, earning a rough bump on the hip from Andrea.

Closing the back hatch of the car, Lori laughed.

"The 'Tweedles'?" she laughed again "Haven't called Mags and Amy that in years."

Carol and Lori picked up the suitcases as Andrea balanced a couple boxes on top of each other and a bag on each arm before they made their way up the porch steps.

Lori Greene was the oldest of the Greene's daughters. She had the sweetest disposition, the calmest demeanor, and was, in Carol's opinion, one of the most beautiful women in their fair town. She was tall and naturally thin. Long, beautiful, chestnut colored hair, and Josephine Greene's hazel eyes. Carol and Lori did and had done nearly everything together. Growing up, they had shared a room until Lori had gone to Georgia State to earn a Bachelors in Education and had, subsequently, moved out on her own the following year.

Now, having finished her Masters and completing the credentials needed, Lori was coming back to Augustus to work in the grade school. So, she was, for a short time, moving back into their parents house till she was a bit more settled. Then she planned on finding somewhere of her own closer to the center of town.

"You know," Lori started, a bit out of breath carrying her luggage up to the landing, "I think you were just as bad, if not worse, at their age" she joked, knocking Carol with her elbow once they'd made it to the top of the stairs and dropped their cargo near the front door.

"Ha! Definitely worse" Andrea smirked, wrangling her thick blonde waves back from her face and into a hair tie.

Carol snorted and rolled her eyes, "Not possible " she smirked, walking over to the porch railing and perching on the ledge. Looking at Lori, Carol crossed her arms over her chest and asked again, teasingly, if she was sure she didn't want them to take her luggage back down to Andrea's car.

"Yes, I'm sure. " Lori answered with a slight chuckle. "It's just for a little while anyway" she said, taking a seat next to her sister on the banister.

The three eldest Greene girls stayed outside on the porch, talking till the sun was almost fully set and the clouds scattered across their piece of Georgia sky were stained a deep orange and pink. When the porch lights turned on and the screen door creaked open, they turned and saw their dad step out. Scratching his chest and cracking his aching back a bit, Hershel stretched and stood there a moment before his eyes lit upon his daughters.

"Was wonderin' where ya ended up" he said to Carol as he made his way over to them. "Not very nice to leave yer old man to face that kinda questionin' on his own" he quipped, hugging Andrea to his side, greeting the two new arrivals.

"Sorry, Dad" Carol giggled.

"Carol was just telling us about our new neighbor" Lori smiled.

Carol had given Lori and Andrea the abridged version of 'current events' in the Greene household. That included the arrival of the mysterious Mr. Grimes.

"Well, if y'all got questions, feel free to go see your mama, 'cause I've done got my fill on that" he answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

His daughters laughed, knowing how their mother and youngest sister could get.

"No, I think we're good." Andrea said "Sounds like a total jackass anyway. I mean, who moves from Atlanta to Augustus? And he lives with his sister?" she asked rhetorically. "I'm telling you, guys like that..." she paused, raising her eyebrows slightly "there's a reason they're single...They're gay."

Carol laughed, but Lori shook her head.

"Andrea, you don't even know him!" She defended,"You're just as bad as the others. Judging the poor man before he's even had time to breath in."

Lori rarely spoke disparagingly of others. Especially strangers. Crossing her arms across her chest she set Andrea with a look.

"Even if he is," she continued "there isn't a thing wrong with that. He's bringing business to Augustus, which it could use, and it's a beautiful, charming, and wonderful place to live!" She exclaimed "I'm moving back...And let me tell you, there is hardly a thing I could miss from Atlanta that I can't find here." she finished.

Andrea rolled her eyes, bored with Lori's argument.

Andrea and Lori could only spend a certain amount together before they started nitpicking at each other even over silly, little, insignificant things. And after spending a majority of the day together, just the two of them, Carol could sense that the limit was being reached and any little thing was gonna set them off.

"Want to take your stuff upstairs?" Carol interjected, not feeling up to listening to the inevitable list of justifications Andrea tended to ramble on about when she wanted to make a point or prove that she was right about something. Even when it wasn't warranted, Andrea just liked to argue.

Lori nodded her head and rubbed her palms on her pant legs, before pushing herself forward.

"You girls want some help?" Hershel offered.

"We can do it, Dad" Carol said with a smile, patting his arm as she passed and picked up a suitcase in each hand.

"You girls sharing a room?" he asked, walking towards the door as Lori looped her arms through the bags she had brought, leaving the boxes for a later trip.

"I'm taking Andrea's old room" Lori answered.

"Well, if y'all need me..." Hershel trailed off, holding the screen door open.

"Thanks, Daddy" Lori pressed a kiss to his cheek as she passed him and together, she and Carol, went up to settle her in.

••••••••••

Andrea only stayed a bit longer after that. Needing to go back to her apartment and prepare for an important internship interview she had coming up. Declining her mother's invitation to stay for dinner, but accepting some chili and cornbread to go, she said her goodbyes to her family and took off. The remaining Greenes sat together at the long table they had on the wrap around porch laughing and joking and just enjoying each other's company with the beautiful country side and fading evening light as their backdrop.

Carol looked around at the faces in front of her and her heart swelled. She loved evenings like this; spending it together and in the safe tranquility of their loving home. She smiled as she listened to Maggie and Amy try and bribe Lori with promises of favors if she just let them invade her wardrobe to aid in their search for the perfect outfit for tomorrow. Glancing over at her parents, Carol caught her father press a kiss to her mother's hand. Love like her parents just didn't exist anymore and it made her a little envious of their luck. Watching her mother stand and place a loving hand on her father's cheek, Joe started to clear the table and pick up their bowls and plates, so Carol got up to help.

Picking up her own bowl, Carol turned to her sisters' plates and started piling them on top of each other.

"Plllleeeaaassseee, Lori!", Maggie begged. "Tomorrow night is going to be the most important night of my life!" she pleaded with her older sister. Pouting and folding her hands together in front of her, Maggie tried her best sad puppy dog look that worked so well when she and Amy were trying to get something from their father.

Carol scoffed and picked Maggie's plate up from in front of her, before making her way to the kitchen.

"Mags," Carol said, pausing in the doorway "you've got to stop reading those romance novels of yours if you think one night is going to change the rest of your life."

Maggie stuck her tongue out at her, making Carol chuckle. Passing her mother in the doorway, Carol placed the stack of dishes in the sink, filling it with water and dish soap.

"Thinking like that is why you're going to end up alone for the rest of your life!" Maggie called at her.

Carol stuck her head out the door, "It's called being realistic" was her sarcastic response.

Her youngest sisters lived in a world of cheesy romance novels and storybook endings, but Carol knew better than to think that life was anything like those hollywood productions. When it came to love, she was pragmatic, and definitely didn't subscribe to the belief that one moment could change your life forever. None of that love at first sight and soul mate nonsense made her heart flutter anymore. And she sincerely doubted that a night at the Lucases, even with the promising excitement of an appearance from The Mr. Grimes himself, was going to be changing her life very much, if at all. Maggie and Amy were just going to have to learn the hard way.

...Little did Carol know, just how wrong she was going to be...

**A/N**

**Thank you so much to those have followed this story! Knowing that at least a few of you that have viewed it have enjoyed it enough to want to see more is really quite gratifying. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too; Id love to know what you think as thing things move along :) **

**I'm working on chapter three, and hope to post it in the next day or so. **

**Have a great night! **


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N THIS IS THE LAST OF THE INTRO CHAPTERS;THINGS WILL BE MOVING ALONG AFTER THIS. & FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT CARE: THE ROLE OF CAROLINE BINGLEY IS BEING PLAYED BY BETH...YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED...ANOTHER A/N AT THE END. **

**ENJOY.**

••••••••••

The quarter mile stretch of private road that lead down to their friend's new home was lined with peach trees. The branches hanging low and heavy with ripe fruit in desperate need of being picked. The driver maneuvered his car over to the right to share the road with a truck that was coming down in the opposite direction. As they passed each other, the driver of the truck waved his arm out of his window, in thanks, as they kept on down the gravel path.

"Don't see many classics like that driving 'round the city" his passenger said, twisting around in the seat to catch a glimpse of the red '47 chevy truck as it traveled passed them. "The ones you do see are so chopped up and modified you can't even tell what car they're suppose to be any more." He said with a tsk of his tongue.

The driver grunted his agreement and nodded of his head, smoking the cigarette he held between his thumb and forefinger. He blew out a cloud of smoke as they pulled out of the tree cover and drove up to the front of the house.

Their host was just turning to make his way back into his home when the rev of the car's engine got his attention. Lifting a hand in greeting as they pulled up, Rick Grimes made his way down the steps to greet them.

"Welcome to Augustus!" Rick said, holding the passenger's door open. "What d'ya think?" he asked gesturing in the air with his hand to the surrounding property and home.

Their friend had just moved his life from the luxury of downtown Atlanta to a house he had bought in outskirts of rural Augustus. At first, they thought the move random but Rick had explained that his mother had spent her summers in Augustus as girl on his grandparents... or great grandparents... farm. When his mother had got sick and he had been visiting with her in the hospital, his mother had said how much she missed that time there and how she wished she could go back. Rick was intrigued and after doing some research, he'd found the very house she'd known all those years ago and discovered that it was for purchase. So he bought it. His hope had been that he, his mother and sister would have moved their together, but soon after he'd finalized design details his mother had stopped responding to the treatments and she'd passed away shortly before the project's completion.

Rick had nearly abandoned the home after that, but after one particularly sleepless night, he had awoke with renewed purpose and moved forward with the project. So here he was now, standing in front of his new home, silly smile on his face...and happy.

"Well...we definitely aren't in Kansas anymore." the passenger joked "Couldn't you have found some place closer?"

Rick let out a laugh and clapped the man on the back when he got out and they greeted each other. He then turned his attention to the driver. "How was the drive over?" he asked.

Taking one last pull from his cigarette, the driver made his way over to his friends.

"Not too bad." He said, clasping Rick's hand in greeting "Would've arrived sooner if little princess here didn't need his extra beauty sleep." he chuckled, motioning to the other man.

"Shut it, Dixon...That ugly mug of yours could definitely use some extra beauty 'Zs' ...Might do something for that bug you always got up your ass too..." he quipped, earning him a rough punch to the arm as he was passed.

Rick chuckled "Let's get you guys settled in, then I'll take you on a tour. You able to stay the whole weekend, Shane?" he asked, closing the passenger door.

"That's the plan...But technically I am on call, so I may have to take off." Shane answered "But I doubt they'll call me in."

Shane Walsh had been transferred to the Atlanta Police department as their new Lieutenant. He had served two tours in Iraq, moving quickly through the ranks and had then worked as military police at Fort Benning till he'd fulfilled his military contract. When that was up, instead of accepting a carrier position, he accepted the option of a position at the Atlanta city police department and had been working there for about two months. He loved it, but a few days off sounded pretty great. So, when his cousin, Daryl, had asked if he'd like to spend the holiday weekend at their friend's new place, Shane put in some extra overtime and requested the weekend off with the stipulation that he be on call.

"Excellent!" Rick said, clapping him on the shoulder. "What about you, Daryl? Or you here for the day?" He asked.

Daryl looked over to them, closing the trunk "Left the new livestock yardman in charge. Giving him something of a 'trial weekend'..."

Daryl Dixon was the second son of Albert Dixon, the founder of 'Georgia A&D Cattle'. His father had passed away when he was 17 years old and had left the company to Daryl and his older brother, Merle. His brother already had found a life for himself in the armed forces and had little to no desire to be part of the business and so Merle had signed all rights he had over to Daryl a few years later. Daryl and Rick had just started at the University of Georgia together to study business and commerce when Daryl's father passed away. He wanted to do his father's legacy proud, and with the added stress of his brother leaving the company to his charge, Daryl worked hard and was at the top of his class.

Daryl's undeterred drive to expand what his father had built had made A&D cattle one of the most prominent privately owned cattle ranches in the nation. He worked tirelessly, so when Rick had asked if he would like to come visit and celebrate the completion of his new home, Daryl decided he needed some time away and accepted, inviting his cousin to come along.

"Fantastic!" Rick clapped his hands together "Let's go on in and I'll show you to the rooms my sister set you guys up in" he said, turning to the house. "You guys hungry?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Always man" Shane laughed rubbing his belly.

"Well, come on." Motioning his guests to follow him "We were just going to put some lunch together, so you're just in time."

Shane started forward when a sudden weight hit his chest, forcing him to take a staggering step back. Instinctively, he reached up to grab at what had hit him and when he looked down he saw he was clutching his duffle bag.

Walking past Shane, his own bag in hand, Daryl smirked "I ain't your valet..." he said, walking up the steps.

Grumbling, he started towards the steps "Asshole" Shane muttered, rubbing at his chest.

Daryl snorted out a slight laugh and waited for his cousin to catch up, before making their way into the house after Rick.

••••••••••

Daryl stood at the railing of the large deck at the back of the house, smoking a cigarette, only half listening to what the small group of people at the table were talking about.

After dropping their things off in the rooms they'd been assigned, Daryl and Shane had made their way to the back of the house where Rick and Beth had set a table for a late lunch.

Daryl had introduced Shane to Bethany Grimes,'Beth' as her friends knew her, and they seemed to be getting on well enough.

Beth was Rick's younger sister and had come to stay with her brother for the summer. Like Daryl, their parents had both passed away. Their father in a car crash shortly after Daryl and Rick had met, and their mother a few months ago to cancer, like Daryl's mother had when he was just a young child. Rick had explained that he didn't like the idea of Beth living on her own in the city when he was going to be so far away. And she in turn had explained that she had agreed to come stay with him until she started her final year of fashion school...She had made no promise that she would stay any longer than that.

Beth was sweet enough...to those that she considered her friends at least. Daryl was often in her company the last few years due to his close friendship with her brother and he'd found her tolerable, at the best of times. She was smart, and one would say she wasn't hard to look at. She was a perfect example of Atlanta's upper social class; the definition of southern belle incarnate. She was now, however, at the age where all her friends were married or on their way to being so and much to Daryl's chagrin, she was actively seeking out a man of her own. He found himself unfortunately often in her sights even though he could never see her in that light. That didn't stop her from trying her best to convince him otherwise, and it was getting somewhat awkward and uncomfortable for him when he found himself alone with just the brother and sister. So, when Rick had mentioned that Beth had decided to come down earlier when she'd heard Daryl was coming down, he had invited his cousin. Knowing full well that with Shane's charm and personable nature, he just might be saved the discomfort of spending the weekend alone with both Grimes siblings, instead of just the one.

Snubbing out his cigarette and savoring the calming effect of the nicotine, he let the smoke out slowly and made his way back over to the group.

"Who was driving that sweet classic we saw when we were driving up?" Shane asked, settling a bit more into the padded seat and taking a long pull from his beer.

Rick looked at him furrowing his brow, not immediately knowing what he was referring to. Taking a sip from his own drink, his brow then shot up in understanding. Wiping his lip he nodded his head before he answered.

"Mr. Lucas...He's one of my new neighbors." he smiled.

Rick went on to explain that the two men, a Mr. Lucas and his friend, Mr. Greene if Rick remembered correctly, had come by to welcome him to town. He had found them both quite pleasant. Their easy manners and warm characters a far cry from the stuffy attitude of the social circles he had grown up around in Atlanta. He told them that Mr. Lucas had extended an invitation to him for the fourth of July party he was having the following night. Mr. Lucas had explained that the fete was an annual event, complete with dancing, barbecue and fireworks. More than half the town showed up every year, so a few more wouldn't be an imposition whatsoever he'd assured.

"...I think we should go" Rick finished, leaning back and taking a sip of his drink.

"Rick, you can not be serious..." Beth incredulously asked.

"Why not? You like parties, Beth. And I know Shane here wouldn't pass up on some good barbeque and the chance to broaden his pool of female acquaintance." he smirked, raising his drink to Shane.

"Barbecue, girls and fireworks?" Shane asked "I'm inviting _you _to go with _me_!" the two men laughed.

"What do you think, Dixon?" Rick asked his friend. "I quite like the idea of a country dance myself...I hadn't really planned anything for us to do tomorrow as it is..." he said, taking another pull from his beer and leaning his elbows on the table in front of him.

Daryl lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Spending the evening with strangers and being forced to dance with women I don't know..." he paused "It's like you don't know me at all man..." Daryl finished with a roll of his eye and taking a long pull from the beer Beth had got for him earlier.

It seemed every time Daryl went to one event or another these past few years, he was cornered by some woman, trying her best to sink her claws into him. They were all the same, the only thing different about them were their names...sometimes.

The growing success and wealth behind A&D was attracting more attention than Daryl cared for from the women he found in the social settings he was increasingly forced into. He felt more often than not on these nights as if he was being auctioned off like one of his bulls. Which is why, more and more, if he went, he made to sure he went with Rick, or Shane if he could get away from work that night. He'd even convinced Merle, to go to a couple of events when he'd been on leave. Rarely did Daryl go somewhere alone. Which seemed to be having the opposite desired effect unfortunately.

Daryl looked to Shane, who was smirking slightly at him.

"If I had known I was going to be forced to attend some barn dance, be ogled at and suffer interacting with _**your**_neighbors" Daryl stressed with a pointed look at Rick, "Then I would have stayed home."

Rick laughed. "If there is anyone I know that can repel unwanted attention or interest with just a word, it's you, Dixon."

"Come on, man." Shane said from across the circular table "Get that stick out your ass, come down off your high horse, and just give it a chance. I doubt it's going to be half as bad as you think it's going to be..." he chuckled "Who knows, you might even finally meet a girl that'll get your shriveled little pecker's attention."

Daryl shook his head and scoffed before draining the rest of his beer.

Rick and Shane had made it their mission to find Daryl 'a woman' almost at the same time Daryl had decided the eschew women all together.

The other two men were easily pleased by female company of any kind, while Daryl simply was not. He had had his share of dalliances but they never last more than a night or two. And that was all Daryl needed. Rick tended to fall in love frequently though just as easily fell back out. He was a silly romantic in constant search for his "other half".

Shane wasn't much better but his reasons were different. He had dated his fair share of women also, but almost all had ended quickly and didn't last very long. The difference was that Shane had known real, true love before it had been taken from him abruptly 7 years ago. It was a story that he didn't freely speak or think of and Shane never talked it about but he knew what love did to a person and he wanted that for his cousin...He knew that was what his cousin was missing in his life.

"I don't see any problem in the two of us staying here, while you two go spend the evening experiencing what _country life_ has to offer." Beth remarked.

The idea of spending an evening with local country folks left a bad taste in her mouth. Looking over to Daryl she continued.

"Daryl and I can find something that both of us will find much more enjoyable to do I'm sure..." she trailed off, twirling a piece of her blonde hair around a dainty finger with a glance in Daryl's direction.

Shane snorted and choked slightly on his drink though Rick missed the exchanged completely

"Asshole" Daryl muttered in Shane's direction, avoiding Beth's eye.

"There's going to be a ton of people at this thing!" Rick interjected "It'll just be a night of good food, good music, a good time, and if the other's are like Lucas and Greene, I promise, good company." Rick finished putting a hand down flat on the table.

"If the other's are anything like your new friends," Beth started "then they are rude, ill mannered, busy bodies." She scoffed "Showing up and just...imposing themselves, uninvited I might add, when we're just getting settled in…ridiculous." she said with a flick of the her slim wrist.

"Jesus, Bethy! They were just being nice..." Rick said, fixing his little sister with a look. "It was nice of them to even take the time out of their day to come introduce themselves..."

"I agree." Shane declared, trying to diffuse a situation that might get it's own kind of ridiculous soon enough "What ever their intent, be it friendliness or just being nosey, Rick wants us to experience some country life and I'm all for it. Especially when it's got the promise of spending an evening in the company of a dozen or more farmer daughters." He raised his bottle to his lips and finished it before he stood. "Dixon, you have to go. As a war vet, I forbid you to stay here like a limp dick, when you should be thanking me for my service."

"That's Memorial Day, jackass..." Daryl mumbled.

"Whatever. You're going."

"You too, Beth" Rick added

Beth pouted and Daryl, since it seemed like the subject wasn't something they were going to likely agree on, let it go and nodded his head.

"Now..." Shane said, slapping his hands down on the table pushed himself to his feet. "I've stuffed myself with some mighty fine cooking' " he bowed to Beth slightly making her giggle and Daryl roll his eyes. " So I'm going to go rest up a bit before I make this cowboy take us on the grand tour." he finished, smacking Rick on the back.

"Sounds like a plan." Rick said getting up too. "Wanna take a ride in about... an hour or so?" He asked looking down at this watch. "We brought the horses over last night and they're chopin' at the bit to run. We can ride them out and tour the property.

They all agreed and Rick and Shane made their way inside, with Beth following shortly after when her attempts to pull conversation from Daryl were proving fruitless.

••••••••••

Daryl got up and walked over to the railing again, looking out at the wide expanse of Rick's property. He envied Rick a bit. Being able to create his own life, choose where and when he wanted to go or do something. Daryl's life had always been dictated to him and a schedule always planned out. He wouldn't change it for a thing though. He'd grown up with a lot of privileges not many had and the work he was doing now with A&D made him happy enough. But seeing his friend forging a road for himself, be it with his new home or the success of his new market venture, made him a little jealous.

Lighting another cigarette, he sucked in a pull of nicotine, closing his eyes and letting it sit in his lungs a bit before letting it slowly blow out. Opening his eyes again, he thought about the party he was apparently going to the following night. He chuckled thinking about his friend's eagerness about attending. What harm could it do to go with them he thought. Better than being stuck in the house with Beth he supposed. Yes, he would go. Just another night spent with people he didn't know and ladies he didn't want to see, but knew his friend and cousin would be forcing on him. Couldn't be any different from any other night he spent at some party or another. No, nothing about tomorrow would be any different from any other one of those nights, he thought.

...right?

**A/N : Firstly: I'd like to thank everyone that had read/favorited/followed/and reviewed this story! Like I've said before, it is so gratifying to know that others enjoy what I'm trying to do here. - I have a newfound respect for the writers on this site and for this fandom. Especially those that can write multiple chapters for multiple stories each day! While I know where I might want to take a chapter, it takes me quite awhile to actually get it there and proof read and finalize it before I think it's adequate enough to publish-. So, thank you all that have liked what little I've given you so far! I appreciate it so much :) **

**Secondly: I suppose another truth universally acknowledged (and if it isn't, it should be) is that when your bored: there is nothing to do, but the minute you find a way to remedy that, it opens a flood gate of possibility. My time, as of late, is becoming less and less my own and the schedule I'd had for myself in regards to this story has changed. I promise to do my best to update at the ****very least** **once a week so the flow of the story isn't interrupted too much as you read. **

**I know that can be very frustrating, so I hope to do my best to avoid that. **

**That's it for now; I'm off to work on the party chapters! **

**-Thanks again for reading :) **


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'M EMBARRASSED AT HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN ME TO GET THIS OUT TO YOU ALL. I'VE REWRITTEN AND REWRITTEN THIS AND JUST CAN'T GET IT TO READ THE WAY I WANT IT TO...SO, I'VE DECIDED THAT I BEST JUST MOVE FORWARD AND POST THIS...OR WE'LL NEVER GET ANYWHERE...AGAIN, PROPS TO THOSE OF YOU WRITERS THAT CAN BUST OUT A CHAPTER(S) DAILY. I TIP MY HAT TO YOU. **

••••••••••

"CAROL! Hurry up or we're leaving without you!"

Andrea stood at the bottom of the staircase checking her watch for what felt like the millionth time, waiting on an answer from her older sister who had promised she'd be ready in '_just 5 minutes_'...30 minutes ago. Glancing up the staircase when she heard a door open, she caught a glimpse of a towel wrapped Carol scurrying quickly from the bathroom.

"You've got to be kidding me! Come on Carol..."

Carol leaned over the banister of the stairwell, water dripping from her hair, clutching the towel to her chest. "Five minutes! I swear, just five more minutes" she promised, looking down at Andrea poised at the bottom of the stairs.

Andrea groaned "Fine...five minutes..." she conceded with a nod of her head and Carol bolted back to her room. "No longer than that! We will leave without you!" her voice getting louder as Carol disappeared from her view.

Throwing open her bedroom door, Carol rushed to towel dry herself and her hair as best and fast as she could, having to skip most of her after shower routine. As she hopped around, trying to apply moisturizer to her damp skin, she bit out a few colorful curse words when she stubbed her toe on the dresser.

"Damn it!" she inspected the blood now coming about of her little toe. "Fucking Icing on an already freaking fabulous day" she muttered to herself as she hobbled over to her closet.

She'd been very much excited about the Fourth of July party that night, but had had a particularly restless night which segwayed into a particularly stressful day, leaving her in a particularly sour mood.

She'd given up on ever getting any decent amount of sleep around five that morning and had headed out to the barn when the sun was just cresting the horizon. Saddling her grey quarter horse named Knightly, she raced them down their drive and out towards the main road. Once away from the house, Carol let the horse wonder at his own pace, letting the sway of his gait lull her into a trance as she started to relax. That wasn't to last though. She'd been caught up in her own thoughts when the sudden growl of a car's engine seemingly came out of no where from behind them and had nearly run them off the road. Luckily, her reflexes were quick and she'd grabbed hold of the reigns she had looped around the saddle horn and had been able stop the horse from reacting too wildly and possibly hurting both him and herself.

All the calm she'd finally centered herself in had been shot to hell, so she turned them towards an open field, kicked the horse's flanks and urged him to go faster to let out some of her own frustration. She rode him harder than she normally would have, and with the rough terrain and muddy spots, it shouldn't have been a surprise when Knightley threw a shoe. The horse had come to an abrupt halt, nearly throwing her for a second time that morning, and when she'd dismounted she saw that not only had his shoe come off but so had a piece of his hoof. She knew better than to ride him in that condition which meant that she'd had to call the house and wait for someone to come find them with a trailer.

Thanks to her early morning mishap, she'd been more than a couple hours late to the veterinary hospital. Throwing her schedule for the day now completely off. Packages had arrived that morning that were supposed to contain new products she had ordered, including some medications her dad had needed fairly quickly, but of course...nothing in the boxes was right. She'd spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon making phone calls, trying to fix the mistake and reordering the things they needed. Interspersed with avoiding the unwanted attentions from the young veterinarian her father had hired, it had been a long day by the time six o'clock had rolled around and she'd finally been able to lock the doors of the clinic. Getting into her car, she'd rushed home and had hoped that her family hadn't left for the Lucas' yet and had breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Andrea and Lori walking down the front steps. She'd begged them to wait for her, promising she'd only be a few minutes and had rushed up the front stairs then up to her room when Andrea had agreed to wait. That had been more than a half hour ago, and Carol knew her sisters were getting antsy.

Now standing in her room, having dried off quickly and putting on a mismatched set of intimates, Carol pulled on the first pair of jeans that she found, a pair a slim fitting distressed denim, and a white button up sleeveless top that stuck a bit to the dampness on the small of her back. Foregoing any makeup since it would take too much time she grabbed a hair tie on her way out the bedroom and flew down the stairs. Stopping at the front door to slip on a pair of strappy brown sandals that were probably Maggie's, she locked the door and rushed to Andrea's idling car.

"I gifted you with an extra 10 minutes I'll have you know" Andrea said as she pulled the car away from the house and lifted her wrist watch in Carol's direction.

Carol smirked, pulling her hair back and securing it with the tie she had around her wrist. "I'll remember that come christmas."

Lori turned from her place in the front to look at Carol "Tough day?"

"You could say that. I've never been more ready for a weekend in my life...or a drink."

Lori laughed "Looks like you might have already started...you might want to rebutton that shirt." she added gesturing to Carol's top.

Carol looked down at herself, "Uuggghh...of course." Her buttons were all off a hole or two from where they were supposed to be. Growling, she mumbled to herself as she went about re buttoning the top a bit more aggressively than was necessary.

Settling back into her seat, she let out a heavy breath and tried to let the stress of the day pass as she listened to Andrea and Lori's conversation, not really focusing on what they were saying. She'd been so excited about this party, and she was determined that she wasn't going to let the bad day ruin her night...

••••••••••

Daryl swirled the ice and amber liquid around in his glass, '_How do the hell do I get myself into these situations_' he thought to himself. Shane had got an call early that morning and had needed to get to the department headquarters as soon as he could. He'd left before the sun was even fully up, and had taken Daryl's car to get back to the city. He'd left the house before any of them were awake had left a note to explain his absence and the disappearance of his cousin's car. It hadn't even been the fact that Shane had taken the car and left him stranded till he found a way back that annoyed Daryl, but the fact that he'd ended up exactly how he'd tried to avoid ending up.

With Shane there, he could differ all conversation to him, and not be the focus of attention. He also could have relied on Shane to be his scapegoat at that dance he was now dressed and waiting to attend. He could have easily avoided any if not all forced interaction he'd be faced with tonight with his charming cousin there. All that now was something he couldn't avoid at all. He was stuck, sitting in a living room he didn't at the moment really want to be in and dressed for a party he didn't want to go to.

Sitting on the edge of his seat, his knee bouncing lightly up and down, he waited on Rick and Beth to finish getting ready. He flipped through the channels on the large flat screen that had arrived that morning, settling on a local news channel that currently was presenting a story on a local horse farm there in Augustus that bred drafting horses. He sat there, allowing himself to wallow in self pity, not really paying any attention to the program when he heard the click of a pair of a heels coming down the hall.

Glancing over to doorway, he saw Beth come into the room, dressed in a short denim skirt and matching denim blouse. The shoes she wore he was sure were highly impractical for a country hoedown as was the amount of jewelry she had on.

"I have no idea how we are going to make it through the night..." Beth complained, walking over to the bar in the corner and making herself a vodka tonic. Since lunch, Beth had made it her mission to let all those in her company know how much she hated the idea of spending the evening with the 'common folk'. That company being Rick and Daryl.

"I cannot stand the _country manners_ that Rick finds so charming" she scoffed "..and I hate loud music! Don't you think you can persuade him to stay home instead? I doubt they'll care if we show up or not, and I'm sure I can find a private chef that'll come out here if I call in the next few minutes that can make us something special for dinner if it's a celebration he wants." She checked the chunky gold watch on her thin wrist as she squeezed another slice of lime into her drink. Turning toward the Daryl, she made her way over to where he sat, sitting down a bit closer than she needed considering the large size of the L-shaped couch.

Daryl didn't meet her eye when she'd been talking to him, and when she sat down, he picked his own tumbler of whiskey off the coffee table and drained it. Getting up he moved to stand at the bar, making himself another drink. He really hoped that the old man had some hard liquor at this thing.

"Might as well just make the best of it, Beth." Daryl said, turning to lean against the bar top, offering her little o solace or comradery.

Beth crossed her arms across her chest and pouted. Daryl wasn't sure if it was because he had moved or because he wasn't going to help try and get them out of going, but honestly, what more could he do? He had spent most of the afternoon trying to convince his friend with subtle suggestions that it might be better if they stayed home. All to no avail. It definitely didn't help Daryl, or Beth's attempts for that matter, when Rick had found out that one of the gentlemen that visited yesterday had not one but five single daughters. The eldest two apparently quite the local beauty queens according to the elderly woman working at the notary public.

Rick had had some final paperwork for the house to have notarized that morning and Daryl had suggested that they go back to the city to have it done. He had secretly hoped that he could have just then stayed there and rescheduled the visit for another time, but Rick had insisted that he had used the notary in Augustus once before and it would work just as efficiently this time too. There was no convincing Rick after that. If anything, his interest was piqued now and it was going to be too difficult to try and get Rick to stay home after the incentive of a night filled with the company of more than one possible beautiful woman.

Beth was just about to say something else on the subject when the very object of their conversation waltzed into the room. Wearing a black and grey plaid button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows over a pair of jeans, Red Wings, and a John Deere ball cap, Rick looked every bit the city boy playing at country chic.

"You clean up pretty good Dixon" slapping a hand on Daryl's chest and making a drink for himself. "So do you Bethy" Rick said, after shooting back a shot of the whiskey Daryl had on the counter.

Beth almost smiled, her vanity easily flattered, but caught herself.

"Do we really have to go, Rick? Do you really want to spend the night surrounded by farmer's daughters and nosey, elderly widows?" she was relentless in her plight. "If not for me, at least think of Daryl. He's your guest!..." Rick was unmoved though, so Beth started to whine, "You know he's only going because you want to; Neither of us would go if we actually had a choice..."

"I will never understand why you insist on being such a snob" Rick cut her off. "None of your friends will be there and I won't tell them you went if that's what's got you so tied up." Taking another shot he dropped the glass into the sink behind the bar. Turning towards his sister, he continued "We all have the possibility of having a great evening and I plan on it being just that...And you look lovely, Beth, why would you want to put all the time you spent getting ready to waste?" he added, playing to her vanity again.

Satisfied that he had won this battle round, Rick looked over to Daryl, "Come on Dixon, a little socializing will do you some good too."

Beth had exhausted her argument and Daryl wasn't going to add anything, so knocking back his own drink, Daryl followed the other two out to Rick's car. It was already nearly eight o'clock, so Daryl told himself that in just a few hours they would be back, and the whole ordeal would be over.

••••••••••

The party was in full swing by the time the hot summer sun had set below the hill ridge surrounding the property. The large barn doors on both sides of the structure had been thrown open wide, allowing the music and laughter to filter out and electrify the surrounding atmosphere. The twinkling lights that decorated the interior with and hung across the dance floor were giving off a glow of their own that radiated a feeling of celebration. There was a live band set up on a low hay loft playing classic country tunes for the people below, and outside long tables and benches had been set up for people to sit and enjoy the bounty of goodies that they had to choose from. Between the food that the Greenes brought and the Barbeque that Will Lucas was cooking up, the party goers lacked little in the way nourishment.

Carol's bad mood had ebbed away by the time that they'd arrived and she was ready to enjoy the night with her sisters and her friends. After having gorged herself on more food than she could have ever even imagined she could fit into her belly, Carol, Lori and Andrea made their way onto the dance floor to burn off some of the thousands of calories Carol was sure she'd forced down her gullet. They had found Maggie and Amy already out there, laughing and teasing each other as they tried to keep up with the EMC's dictated line dance steps and were making quite a spectacle of themselves. After trying their best to keep up with dancing for the better part of an hour, Carol, Lori and their friend Jacqui found a place to sit on one of the hay bales that lined the dance floor

Jacqui was Will Lucas' daughter and Carol's best friend. They had been friends since before they were born Joe Greene liked to joke. She and Susanna Lucas had been very close as were their husbands who had grown up together. After Jacqui's mother passed away, both Will and Jacqui had leaned heavily on the friendship they had with the Greene's, but that's what family did. Even if they weren't blood related, Carol was Jacquie's 'white chocolate' sister she joked. Family was always that little bit better when you got to choose its members Will always said, and Carol agreed in their regard.

The three girls sat there and watched as couples moved around in a large circle dancing a two step. Lori had been asked to dance when they first sat, but declined. Promising the young man a dance though later that night.

Carol couldn't resist teasing her sister a bit as the man walked away though. "If every poor farmhand this side of Macon county doesn't fall in love with you tonight, then I clearly have misjudged true beauty"

"and men..." came Lori's quick response as she continued to watch the dancers in front of them.

Carol laughed " oh but how wrong you are. They are much easier to judge than you think."

"Not all men are the same-"

"I beg to differ" Carol said, cutting her short.

Turning to look Carol in the eye, she wasn't sure if she was being serious. She caught Carol's lip jerk slightly, repressing a smirk and knew then that Carol was just trying to push her buttons. Smiling and looking back out at the couples, Lori laughed lightly to herself.

"One day, a mans going to catch your eye and you're going to have to watch yourself."

"Went down that road once already... And unless this Mr. Grimes ends up being a lot more interesting than I'm starting to think he isn't, then that isn't going to happen anytime soon..."

"Carol..." Lori started in a warning tone

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...Don't judge him yet, blah, blah, blah."

Lori nudged her sister in the ribs as she imitated her

"Who knows..." Jacqui interjected "Grimes might just be the one to snag our Carol's heart just yet!" she teased.

"Oh that's very likely" came Carol's sarcastic response.

The song finished and the dancers and bystanders clapped and hollered, congratulating the dancers on a job well done. The band was done for the night and they started to pack up, leaving the younger crowd waiting for the speakers to come to life and play a more current country setlist.

"What time is it anyway?" Jacqui asked

Carol shrugged, having forgotten to put her watch back on in her haste to leave and having left her cell phone in Andrea's car.

"Lori?"

Lori looked over then down at her own watch "A little past 9-"

"Things are just getting' started then!" Carol said, jumping up from her seat, ready to give the dance floor another go and ready to abandon the exhausted topic of the new neighbor. Between her youngest sisters last night and this morning, and the ladies at the party, one would think there wasn't anything else to talk about.

There was plenty else to occupy her mind and with a now satisfied belly and couple beers and a shot of the Henderson twin's moonshine in her system, she had turned her bad mood around and was ready to have some fun. Pulling at both Jacqui and Lori's arms, they laughed as they got to their feet and started to make their way over to where the other Greene girls stood, sans Andrea, to wait for the music to start. They were getting closer when the speakers came to life with a crackle before letting out a high pitched squeak and squeal instead of a cowboy's crooning.

They all covered their ears and winced a little at the sharp pitch before a couple of the younger guys jumped up on the stage where the system sat and turned it off, trying to fix whatever had gone wrong.

"Carol!"

Maggie and Amy waved their arms at their sister to get her attention and Carol forged a new path towards where they stood now at the center of the dance floor.

She was so focused on moving forward that she didn't notice that the people around her had all redirected their attention to the front doors instead of the stage. It wasn't till Jacqui squeezed her hand that she turned to look at her and her attention too was drawn to the the doors.

When the speakers had squeaked, the people inside missed the entrance of a certain person that had been the topic of more than just their conversation that night. It hadn't gone unnoticed for long though. Standing in the middle of the open doorway were three people Carol didn't recognize which could could only mean one thing:

Mr. Grimes and his friends it seemed had finally arrived…

••••••••••

**A/N: I KNOW! I KNOW! I PROMISE THEY MEET IN THE NEXT CHAPTER. **

**THANKS FOR READING. HOPE I DIDN'T DISAPPOINTMENT. **


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